Clayton Bell

Clayton Bell (born 21 September 1978) is an Australian soccer coach and former professional player who mostly played as a midfielder. He represented Australia at underage level and featured extensively in the National Soccer League and Victorian state leagues before embarking on a successful regional coaching career.

Made captain of Gippsland Falcons at just 22 years of age, Bell played 118 games for the Falcons, ranking him third on the club's all-time list for most matches in the NSL, behind only Claudio Canosa (132 matches) and Doug Marcina (127 matches).

Bell began his junior football with Carrum United, Cranbourne and Frankston Pines in Victoria, progressing to the Victorian Institute of Sport.^[1]

He was awarded the 1994 Weinstein Medal as the best junior player in Victoria.^[2]

In 1996, Bell played 25 matches and scored 3 goals for Port Melbourne in the Victorian Premier League, impressing coach Frank Arok, who then signed him for Gippsland Falcons the following season.^[3]

From 1996 to 2001, Bell played for Gippsland Falcons in the National Soccer League, including the 2000–01 season under the temporary name Eastern Pride. He was appointed Eastern Pride's final captain at age 22, taking over from Jeff Hopkins, who became the club's coach that year.^[4]

During this period, he spent a short loan at South Dandenong in 1998 while still contracted to the Falcons.^{[5] [6]}

Bell joined South Melbourne for the 2001–02 NSL season, making 10 league appearances.

In 2003, Bell joined Morwell Pegasus in the Victorian State League Division 2 South-East and stayed at the club for eight seasons.

Whilst at Pegasus, he was voted as the Victorian State League Division 3 South-East Player of the Year in 2007.^[7] He also helped the club win promotion in 2008 from the Victorian State League Division 3 South-East, scoring eight goals.^[8]

He later played in the Latrobe Valley Soccer League with Traralgon Olympians in 2012 and had a huge impact as a striker, scoring nine goals in 12 league games.^[9]

His remarkable resiliance and fitness was demonstrated when he continued to play for Newborough‑Yallourn United into his mid-40s, while still serving as head coach,^[10][11] before continuing to act as player-coach for his next club in 2025, Fortuna 60.^[12]

Bell represented Australia at under-17 level from 1994 to 1995, playing 17 matches and scoring two goals.

Regarded as one of the biggest talents of his generation, Bell captained the Joeys on multiple occasions, including on the team's seven-match tour of South America, where he was named captain five times - the highlight being a 4-2 win over Uruguay at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo.^[13]

He was also chosen by coach Les Scheinflug to be Australia's captain at the 1995 FIFA U-17 World Championship in Ecuador, where Australia drew 2–2 with Spain, lost 2–0 to Nigeria and won 3–0 against Qatar to qualify for the quarter-finals.

In the quarter-final of the 1995 FIFA U-17 World Championship, Bell skippered Australia in a 3–1 defeat against Brazil, leading a team full of future stars - including Harry Kewell, Brett Emerton, Chris Coyne, Nick Rizzo, John Maisano, Daniel Allsopp.^[14]

Bell coached Newborough-Yallourn United from 2016 to 2024, leading them to their first Latrobe Valley Soccer League title since re-joining the LVSL in 2005.

For his efforts in lifting the Combine to their first LVSL trophy since 1972, Bell was named 2019 LVSL Coach of the Year.^[15]

In 2025 he was appointed coach of Fortuna 60 and led them to the Victorian State League 5 East title in their first season, after which he stepped down.^[16]

• Clayton Bell - NSL player statistics on OzFootball